No news is good news

Yes, there is not much going on at the Belkmerweg at the moment. The spring flowering bulbs are back under cover and in the sheds of the lily growers the seasonal workers are looking forward to the journey home while they process the last lilies. The biggest, and also the most beautiful, news of the moment comes from the cat of neighbour Ingrid. Ancient, rickety but still sweet. (the cat, mind you, not Ingrid) The corridor was getting so tired of the old animal that it was decided to go to the vet after all. Cat in the cat travel bag and with the bag on your lap in the waiting room at the vet. Next patient, what's the problem madam? Bag open, oops! Dead as a doornail. I know for sure that she was still alive when I left home. End of cat, will there still be a bill? Tulipa Honky Tonk

Another nice story that I heard through the grapevine is that in a panic a mother asked her daughter to quickly call 112 when her little brother fell through a glass window. Come on, quickly, call 112. Yes, but mom, what is the number then? It all ended well, fortunately nothing happened and, the good news, my daughter now knows what the number is for 112 😊  Oh yes, I have to tell you that of course, after the many positive reactions in previous years, the girls of Land van Fluwel have come up with an incredibly beautiful, magical and somewhat exciting Christmas story again this year: “The search for the stolen presents”. A fun adventure for young people and a reception by the real Santa Claus from Lapland. If you want, you can also eat delicious pancakes afterwards. More information at https://landvanfluwel.nl/winterland-van-fluwel/

Santa Claus can't make it on the twenty-second so he'll dress me in the suit, who knows, maybe we'll see each other. Dahlia Jowey Winnie

What else to say, I spend most of my time behind the computer now preparing the Fluwel webshop for the next season. Nice work, especially with the beautiful assortment of Lilies and Dahlias that will soon be available in the Fluwel webshop. You can order them sometime in the first week of early January. What is also handy and what many visitors to our webshop do not know is that you can also leave your e-mail address if something is sold out or not yet available. If you click on the article that is 'sold out' or 'soon available', you can leave your e-mail address and you will receive a message as soon as the product can be ordered. I think, hope, believe but am not entirely sure that all Dahlias, Lilies and other summer flowering bulbs are now on the site so you could already have a good browse there. Tasting Amaryllis in the greenhouse

Time to start on the Fluwel Special Narcissus list. Quite a job, many varieties that need a year of rest because too many were sold last year and a considerable number of new introductions. That means making miles behind the computer. On the one hand it's nice, on the other hand I prefer to be outside or in the greenhouse tinkering with the Amaryllises or, I have already decided, pruning the apple trees. Someone who always likes it when I spend a lot of time behind the computer is my tummy, which immediately starts to worry about its umpteenth comeback. Lilium Anouska

As much as possible outside to have fun and tinker with plants. Last week we finally planted our Daffodils and Peonies. We always do that, plant a sample of all the varieties we offer to see if they do well and are true to type. This time I will also try to prove that what I like to talk about so much, the years of returning, is really true. For our solar meadow at the Fluwel windmill, along the Belkmerweg, I planted all the Peonies one by one, alternating with a Daffodil. A bit late, I know, but with the open winters of today you can plant until late December without any problems. What I noticed by the way was that the Peonies still look incredibly good. I have seen the Peony flower all my life, but this year was the first time that we were allowed to pack and store the plants in considerable quantities. What I also noticed about the Peony was that there are still quite a few tubers of some varieties, I was a bit too enthusiastic with the purchase. It is our strategy not to give discounts, that is simply not in our DNA. We like honest prices, no-nonsense. Not starting with a slightly higher price in order to be able to reduce the price at the end of the ride. Paeonia Lovely Rose

Still, I can't bring myself to have unsold Peonies left in the shed. And, December is a bit of a gift month, with every peony you buy you get one as a gift from me . If you buy two, you get two and so on. The Peonies that you get for free are of our choice, it's a surprise. Today is also the last day that you can order the spring flowering bulbs . That was actually the most important item in this newsletter and I almost forgot to tell you. If you order today, I will ask them to be generous when packing and to fill the box well.

Now I'm going back to my greenhouse to cuddle the Amaryllises. A nice gift to give away for Christmas, an Amaryllis bulb, but you have to do that yourself. Or a gift voucher... also nice.

Kind regards,

Carlos van der Veek